Furnaces of various types including waste oil furnaces or heaters have been around for many years and are constructed of numerous different types of framework configurations. The frameworks and furnaces are also constructed out of numerous different types of materials. Very generally, the furnace frameworks which are the subjects of aspects of this invention provide a framework for the relative disposition or placement of furnace components, which generally include a combustion chamber housing, an exhaust manifold and air transfer conduits or manifolds. These components are generally held or disposed relative to one another by a framework.
In the past, the various components such as manifolds and conduits have been welded to other framework members such as end pieces, flanges, connectors and the like, along most or all of the length of the interface. These prior furnace systems, and methods for assembling them, may lead to different problems or undesirable circumstances, such as an excessive cost in manufacturing if an excessive amount of welding is relied upon. These prior systems, likewise, do not provide sufficient tolerance or allowance for the movement or flex of one component relative to another during the heating and cooling cycle that furnaces, particularly waste oil furnaces, must endure. If one component is heated or expands before an adjacent component to which it is affixed, there can be unnecessary tensions and possible failures in the welds between the components.
In prior furnace systems in which substantial welding is utilized to affix or dispose the framework components together, it is more difficult to replace specific components of the system without having to replace the entire system or destroy other components.
It is therefore an objective of aspects of this invention to provide a furnace system, which may include an apparatus and/or a method, which reduces the welding required to assemble the furnace.
It is another objective of aspects of this invention to provide a furnace system in which an expansion joint is provided, which allows more relative movement between adjacent parts, which are disposed or fixed relative to one another as part of the furnace system.
While the invention was motivated in addressing some objectives, it is in no way so limited. The invention is only limited by the accompanying claims as literally worded, without interpretative or other limiting reference to the specification, and in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.
Other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will appear from the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. In carrying out the objects of this invention, it is to be understood that its essential features are susceptible to change in design and structural arrangement, with only one practical and preferred embodiment being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as required.